Make The Most Of Your Outdoor Space - Planning Your Denver Home Landscape Design

According to the proverb if you fail in planning, then you are surely planning to fail. Though it might sound like an overstatement, it is true in the case of a novice Denver landscaper. Anything outstanding - whether a fine building, the immense wealth of an individual, or an elaborate symphony all start out with a well laid out plan. A building design must have a blue print, in order to develop wealth it is critical to put together a financial plan or budget, and s symphony requires various pages of handwritten music giving all the details. Landscaping is no different. The next time you come across a beautiful lush garden or otdoor space you can be sure that a well laid out garden plan was the first step leading to this thriving beauty.

You can create your own Denver garden landscaping, and it’s not tricky at all. Any kind of gardener can benefit from a garden plan. If you feel you can’t grow anything, then take our “black thumb quiz” to see what you can do to rectify this.

First, pull up a map of your lot. Bing Maps and Google Maps work best for this. If you have an official map of your property lines in relation to the rest of the immediate neighborhood, this helps a lot as well. If you’re using Bing Maps, use the Aerial mode in Bing Classic to get satellite and bird’s eye views of your property.

Find a big piece of paper or cardboard to plot your landscaping layout on. If you need to, cut it into the same shape as your lot. The bigger it is, the more detailed you can have. With a pencil, draw the cardinal directions, then draw the permanent features. You can print out a map and draw a grid to the printout to get more accurate proportions and distances.

Draw your home on your Denver landscaping plan and don’t forget to include items like porches and overhangs, or even steps. Draw the outbuildings, such as sheds, garages, or pool homes. Then add the remaining landscaping items such as driveways, sidewalks, patios, decks, fences, and anything else present.

If you’re more of a color coder, you might want to use colors to indicate different features or areas, as it they can really help to keep your map organized. Once you’re satisfied with the permanent features, trace over the outline with marker and feel free to “landscape” around the house without accidentally erasing the house and driveway.
Next, sketch in the permanent landscape features that you’re not going to remove. Make notes on areas that will affect your planting, such as a corner that stays moist all the time.

You should really see your lot come together at this point. When you’re satisfied with it, trace in the landscape features with marker, and label plants and trees that are already there if you want. Start making notes about how the sun hits different areas of your yard. Remember that it drops south in the winter and is directly overhead in the summer. If you’re planning for the winter, make a note of shading areas that might be sunny then.

As you plan, use your pencil until you’ve planted what you’re plotting. Putting plant names on movable stickers lets you “move” plants and test out locations. Once you’re satisfied, get your plan laminated, so you can write on it with dry-erase markers.

We understand that this whole process may seem daunting, and our professional Denver landscapers are here to help at any point in your landscape design process. Whether you want us to map out, plan, plant and maintain your entire garden and outdoor space, or whether you just need some help at some point along the way, please give us a call today.